Cora
by Norsegirl17
Summary: What if Homer Hickam had a cousin? Will Cora be as interested in rockets as her cousin? Will she be the outsider in school like Homer or will she be just like her other cousin Jim,a Jock? Will she have any friends or will she be like Dorothy, a popular cheerleader? Find out the difficulties in her life.
1. Start

**Start**

My name's Cora, Cora Hickam. My cousins are Homer and Jim but Homer and I are as close as twins. I stay over at his house because my father is an abusive drunk while my mother is dead. She died from an oil leak in the building where she worked. That was five years ago. My Uncle John and Aunt Elsie always take care of me if I come in their house in the middle of the night, beaten. They always treated me as if I was their daughter.

Jim wasn't the best guy around. He was smart and played football but he was never really nice to Homer. Even though we were cousins, we never really talked but on occasions, he would help me when I needed help after getting beat. Homer and I shared the same friends, again like I said; we were as close as twins. Our friends were Sherman O'Dell, who we just called O'Dell, and Roy Lee Cooke.

We were in high school, our junior years. Roy Lee and I have been dating since we were in seventh grade. The four of us have been best friends ever since we were little kids. We've always stuck together but we've also had our arguments. O'Dell and Roy Lee knew nothing about me getting beat by my dad. We all live in a small town, Coalwood, West Virginia. It seemed like everybody knew everybody.

I spent the night at my cousin's house and waited for Roy Lee and O'Dell to come pick us up. Homer wanted to try out for football. We tried to talk him out of it but he was insistent that he tried out. We knew we couldn't change his mind once he's committed. Homer and I were sitting on the porch waiting for our ride.

Homer was always trying to get me to tell the boys about my dad but I wouldn't give in. Right now, that was exactly what he was doing. "Come on, Cora. They deserve to know. Especially Roy Lee."

"Homer, do you have any idea of how mad he would be? He would go after my dad and try to beat him to a pulp. Besides, Roy Lee gets beat too by his step-dad. That's enough stress as it is. He ain't got to worry about me."

It looked like Homer was about to say something else but he was cut off with someone honking their horn. I look towards the road and see Roy Lee and O'Dell waiting in the car. I smile and hop in, Homer hopping in behind me. "Let's go, Roy Lee. It's almost nine."

I saw O'Dell turn up the radio and heard Jailhouse Rock by Elvis. It was one of my favorite songs. I was behind the driver who happened to be Roy Lee. I sat up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, making him smile. "Sure are in a hurry to get yourself killed."

"No kiddin. There are easier ways to commit suicide, Homer." O'Dell puts in.

"Would you just step on it, Roy Lee?" Homer asks, impatiently.

"…I _am_ steppin on it." He shoots back, making everyone laugh.

The rest of the ride, we were giving Homer a hard time about football and listening to music. We dropped him off at the football field and then we went to get something to eat. O'Dell went inside the restaurant to order our food while Roy Lee and I stayed in the car.

He automatically turns around to face me, giving me a smile. "You miss me?"

I smile and lean forward to kiss him. I was about to pull back but he ran his fingers through my hair. He deepened the kiss and tried to hop in the back with me but he stopped and pulled away. I give him a confused look and he turns to me, looking embarrassed. I look over the seat and saw his foot got tangled in the seatbelt.

I laughed out loud and helped him get untangled. We both start laughing when he finally sits next to me. He stare in each other's eyes and lean in. Right before we meet in the middle, he whispers, "I love you."

I smile and respond, "I love you, too."

Roy Lee smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. We continue kissing until a door opens, both of us pulling away, looking who it was. O'Dell climbed in the passenger seat and turned to us with a smile. "You want me to drive so you two can continue?"

"Like I'd ever let you drive my car." Roy Lee jokes, climbing back in the front seat.

O'Dell and Homer always joke and make fun of us when they catch us together but we all think it's funny and we all joke about it. We went back to the high school to pick up Homer. The boys stayed in the car while I got out and waited for my cousin by the doors.

He came out of the locker room, glaring at the floor, stomping my way. I lay a hand on his shoulder as he was just about to pass me. "Homer, are you ok?"

He shrugged my hand off and kept walking. "I'm fine."

I knew then, that he didn't make the team. We walked back to the car and hopped in. Roy Lee kept turning to key but the engine wouldn't go. Everybody in the car groaned and Homer and Roy Lee get out to push while O'Dell and I hop in the front seats. I was getting bored so I turned on the radio and bobbed my head to the beat.

The windows were down and I heard Homer complain, "Why should the damn jocks be the only ones to gettin scholarships?"

"They're also the only ones who get the girls. This burns my ass." Roy Lee added. "Well, on second thought…not _all_ the girls."

"Oh, shut up. That's my cousin." Homer laughs.

We walked into a building that helped repair the car/the building that worked with metal and talked to one of the workers who was a good friend of ours, Ike Bykovsky. He picked up a newspaper after he gave us a drink. "What do you kids think of this? Isn't that something?"

I looked at it and it said _'Soviet Union Launches First Earth Satellite'_. I'll admit, it interested me a bit, but I know that not many others would be. I'm different like that, liking different things. I was different because a lot of things. For example; I'm the only girl who wears jeans, tennis shoes, and t-shirts. I hate skirts and heels. You would have to put a gun to my head to get me in a skirt and heels.

"Let 'em have outer space." Roy Lee said. "We got rock n roll."

He left and so did O'Dell. Homer and I stayed inside, looking at the newspaper. The manager shouted to the boys, "I'm with you. We've got enough to worry about down here." He went back to normal inside voice. "Homer, your dad say anything about and layoffs?"

"No."

"Did they pull any more pillars?"

"He didn't say."

"Does he talk at all?"

"Yeah, he talks." I snap, dragging my cousin out the door with me.

We heard a big explosion near the coalmine and ran to see what happened. There was already a big crowd forming around somebody on the floor when we got there. I looked to see a guy who had a bandage around his head and Uncle John was trying to wake him up.

"Come on, Jensen. Come on back." He started slapping the man on the face, gently.

The man woke up and started looking around. "What happened?"

One of Uncle John's co-workers spoke up. "Whole damn mountain 'bout fell on your head. And John here, he saved your life."

"That's my dad." Homer says proudly.

"I want you outta this mine. Don't come back, you stupid son-of-a-bitch. Didn't I tell you to watch the roof? Now we all could've been killed cause you didn't have the sense to look up!" Uncle John shouts.

"That's my dad." Homer says, disappointed.

Uncle John called Homer over so I turned around to give them their talk time and I pulled the other two boys alone with me. We stopped at the bottom of the hill and waited for Homer to follow us. I decided to ask them what they thought about the whole Sputnik thing. "Hey, guys. What do you think of the whole outer space thing?"

"That it's stupid and pointless." O'Dell answered.

"I think it's a waste of time. Ain't nobody got time for that kind of shit." Roy Lee says.

I roll my eyes at the two. They obviously thought that the world was mining coal but they were wrong. It was mainly Coalwood that took care of the mining which also helped make steel. Homer finally came back, looking mad. I knew it had something to do with mining coal. He never want to be a coal miner but there wasn't much else that he could do in this town.

I spent the night over at their house, not wanting to see how drunk my dad got. The next day, we were all in Miss Riley's class, listening to the radio. "It's the radio signal transmitted by the Soviet Sputnik. Listen for the sound which forevermore separates the old from the new."

Then we hear nothing but a noise that sounds almost like a cricket. It didn't sound like anything really, but sound waves going up and down. I let out a tiny smile but that quickly went away when I heard Roy Lee, next to me, almost sounds pissed. "That's it? That's the Sputnik?"

"That's Sputnik." Miss Riley confirms with a smile.

"Big deal." O'Dell says, trying not to laugh.

"Big deal?!" The school nerd, Quentin Wilson shouts. "What you fail to grasp is that the sound you're hearin is being transmitted by an object, that is traveling at 18,000 miles per hour, 559 miles high, and orbiting the Earth—"

"Shut up!" Roy Lee yells, chuckling a ball of paper at Quentin, O'Dell does the same.

"Boys, not in my class!" Miss Riley shouts. "Now Quentin's right, y'all. Sputnik is a milestone in history. Things'll never be the same again. What do you think of that, Homer?"

My attention is quickly turned to my cousin and find him staring at a girl in our class, Dorothy Platt. He jumps when he hears his name. "Well, yes, ma'am. Uh I, uh—"

"Cat got our tongue? We were talking about bein in orbit hundreds of miles away from Earth. You know anything about that?"

Homer tries to not smile but his plan doesn't work. The whole class is in a fit of giggles except me. "No, ma'am."

"I got my eye on you, boy. Now who can tell me why Sputnik is so important?" Miss Riley asks the class.

Before I know it, it's nighttime and everyone was outside, waiting to see the shuttle, pass through the sky. I was inside while the boys were outside. I hear the door slam closed and lots of shuffling going on in the living room. I made my way to that room but then I hear Homer shout, "Hey, is anybody in the house?"

I was confused as to why he asked that. I didn't answer and when I was just around the corner, about to make my presence known, I heard Homer again. "Alright, see nobody's here. Now, come on, tell us!"

"No way! You'll be pissed!" Roy Lee snaps.

"I'll be pissed if it's about Cora." Homer explains.

"Exactly! It _is_ about Cora!"

"I swear, Roy Lee, if you're cheatin on her—"

"Hold on! I've liked your cousin ever since we were kids and that whole time, I have never _once_ looked at another girl! So you don't have to be jumping to conclusions!"

"Guys, calm down. I don't think we want any objects broken in the house and we certainly don't want people outside to hear us. Come on, Roy Lee. You let something slip now you have to tell us. We're your best buds, it's only fair." O'Dell interrupts.

I hear Roy Lee sigh and everyone else calming down. "Alright, but you have to swear that you're not gonna ring my neck."

"Alright, I swear." Homer says, quietly.

"You both know that I love her, right?" They must have nodded because he continued. "Well, you also know that we've been datin since we were in seventh grade. To be honest, I've never felt like this before. I really think that she's _the one_. She understands me, she's tough, strong, smart, and beautiful. She's everything I look for in a girl, she's perfect. I really think that Cora is the one that I'm gonna marry someday."


	2. Sputnik

**Sputnik**

Once he finishes, I have tears streaming down my face. I've always liked Roy Lee as a kid but as we grew older, I realized I loved him. We do everything together. He protects me, he helps me whenever he can, he know almost everything about me and I know almost everything about him. We've gone pretty far in our relationship but not too far. We know where the limits are and when to stop.

"You really love her?" Homer asks.

"Yeah. I really do." Roy Lee whispers.

"…Well, then I'm happy for you two. You make her happy. But just warning you, if you ever hurt Cora, you're dead."

"I thought that was my warning when I first started dating her." The three boys laugh and walk out the door.

I was almost in a daze when I walked out the backdoor. I had to pretend I didn't hear anything and act like I was in the backyard the whole time. I walk in the front yard and hop on the porch where the boys were. I sit on the porch swing, next to Roy Lee and smile at them.

They smile back and Homer asks, "Where did you go? We were wondering where you went."

"I was in the backyard. It was getting pretty crowded out here so I went in back to get some fresh air."

"Hey, Roy Lee. How'd you guys start dating? Like how'd you ask Cora out? I need a way to ask Dorothy out."

My boyfriend gets this big smile on his face for a split second before turning serious. "Alright, what you need to do is to take her to the movies. Something scary, like _'Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman_'. Then you take your arm and put it round the back of her chair, like so." As he was talking, he was actually doing the actions, showing Homer what to do and how to do it. I was confused and just sat there as he put his arm around me. Homer asked how we started dating. This is not how we started dating so I had no clue what Roy Lee was thinking.

"When it gets scary, and she ain't payin attention to nothin but the movie, you sort of let your arm sort of slide on down her shoulders, real nice and slow and easy…until—"

Roy Lee started tickling me, all of a sudden. I kept squirming in my seat trying not to laugh but sadly, I couldn't help it. I let out a loud laugh that echoed in the night and soon, I accidently let out a small squeal. He lets me go as the three boys start laughing their asses off.

"I see it! Right there!" A voice calls out from the crowd.

The four of us jump off the porch to get a look at the Sputnik. I accidently lost my footing and tripped. I ended up bumping right into Roy Lee but he just laughed and grabbed a hold of me. I smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before I turned to face the night sky. I search for Sputnik but couldn't find it.

"I see, it's right there." Roy Lee stretched out his arm and pointed to where he was looking.

I squinted my eyed and then I saw it. It looked like a regular star, but brighter and it was moving. Moving fast across the night sky, passing all the other stars. I kept staring at it even when everybody started leaving except me and Homer.

I heard someone say, "Sons of bitches gonna be droppin bombs on us from up there."

"Don't know why they'd drop a bomb on this place." Roy Lee's voice spoke up. "Be a heck of a waste of a bomb."

I laughed and tore my gaze from the sky. I walked out the gate and was about to continue walking but Homer called my name. I turned to my cousin and he ran to the gate too. "Cora, where you goin?"

"Home." I shrug my shoulders. He gives me a worried look but I shake it off. "Don't worry about me, Homer. I'll be fine. If anything happens, I'll just come back here."

"Alright, just be careful. First sign of trouble, come straight back here. You know our door is always open for you."

"Thanks. See you later, Cousin." I say, walking away.

He smiles at me before turning to the house. "See you later."

I finally get back to my house and stop at the door. I saw my dad's truck in the driveway and I saw most of the lights were on. I didn't know if he was drunk or sober. I took a deep breath and walked through the door. I carefully peek inside and see my dad on the couch, holding a beer in his hand.

"Where ya been?" He asks.

"Around town." I say, simply.

"Of course you've been in town. I mean, where the hell have you been, not showing up here in days?!"

"I was…I was at Uncle John's and Aunt Elsie's place."

"Why the hell were you over there?"

"I was hanging out with Homer. The two of us, we were hanging out with our friends. I was helping him with trying out for football." I say the last part as a lie.

"Your friends? You mean those two dumb boys, Sherman O'Dell and Roy Lee Cooke?"

"They ain't dumb!" I shout.

"Don't raise your voice to me!" He slaps me, making me lose my balance.

He started kicking me, calling me names, saying it was my fault mom was dead, and saying I didn't deserve to be here. After an hour or two, he finally stops and goes upstairs. I try my best to stand up and walk out the door. I almost wanted to scream out in pain. I get to Homer's place and open the door.

I walk inside and see the family in the kitchen. I let the door slam behind me and let myself fall to the floor. I drop to my knees, hugging my stomach from the pain and I hear footsteps running my way. I hear Jim call out, "Mom, dad! Cora's hurt!"

Jim gently picks me up and sets me on the couch, being careful. More people run in the room and Aunt Elsie puts some ice packs on my stomach and on my face. I try to pull away from her as she puts pressure on my wounds but Uncle John holds me still, telling me that she's almost done and that I'm going to be ok.

Soon enough, Aunt Elsie was done with the ice packs and let me be. Everyone made sure I was alright before heading to bed. Well, except Homer. He stayed by my side and held my hand. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. This isn't the first time I've been beaten."

"I know. You wanna take my bed tonight?"

"No, I'm ok on the couch. I don't want to take your bed from you."

"Well, too bad." Homer picked me up and carried me to his room, all the way I was complaining about it being his house and his bed.

He gently sets me on his bed and pulls the covers over my body. "See, now ain't that better than an old couch?"

"Homer…" I almost whine.

"You want me to sleep on the floor next to you?" He asks, completely ignoring my orders.

I got an idea and scoot over in the bed until I was almost on the edge. I pat the spot next to me, not a word. He sees what I'm getting at and shakes his head. "Sorry, Corry. I don't think that would work."

I couldn't help but smile at my childhood nickname. "Oh, come on, Homer. We used to do it as kids all the time! And we're cousins, it's not that weird. Besides, I don't want to be alone tonight."

He stares at me for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "Fine. But only for tonight."

I smile as he hops in the bed, pulling the covers over himself. We both get settled under the covers and fall asleep. Eventually morning comes and we're all in the kitchen, eating breakfast, dressed for the day. Homer carried me downstairs to me seat even though I kept telling him that I could walk.

"The first game against Welch, that's the one that gonna draw the scouts." Uncle John said, mainly talking to Jim.

"Yeah. Welch knows it too. They're gonna be comin after us."

"Be careful, Jim." Aunt Elsie warns. "Last year, those two boys from Welch got their arms broken."

"Well, they started it." Jim joked, making me laugh but stop immediately because of my ribs hurting.

"It don't matter much who started it. I don't call that football."

"You don't worry about Jim." Uncle John told her. "Ain't nobody on the Welch team that can catch him. I wish the scouts could've seen that first game with Bluefield."

"I'm gonna build a rocket." Homer interrupts with a smile on his face. We all turn to stare at him but I give him a smile, telling him to go for it. "Like Sputnik. Well, I'm not saying it'll go up in space or anything, but I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna build a rocket."

"Well, just don't blow yourself up." Aunt Elsie says, taking a sip from her coffee. "More eggs, anybody?"

Later that day, we got Roy Lee and O'Dell over to the house and I saw Homer had already built a rocket. He had set it up on the white fence of his yard. "Nice rocket, Homer." I comment.

"How high do you think it'll fly?" O'Dell asks.

"Well, I got it packed with powder from thirty sky rockets. Three, four miles. You ready?"

"Yeah."

Homer started counting down as we all slowly back up. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…"

"Should we get behind something?" Roy Lee questions.

At that exact moment, the rocket blew up, making us go flying in the air and landing on our backs. Pieces of the fence goes flying and at one point, I saw a piece of wood hit Roy Lee in the head. The impact my body made with the ground was NOT good. It knocked the wind outta me and hurt my ribs like nobody's business.

I heard Aunt Elsie run out of her porch and ask, "What happened?"

"Oh, my rocket blew up." Homer answered, trying to get up.

"Are you ok?"

"I guess."

"Cora, are you alright, hun?"

I didn't answer, just held my ribs and squeeze my eyes shut in pain. I felt someone trying to lift me up and I didn't move. "Corry, you ok?" Homer's voice speaks.

I silently nod my head and try to get up. Homer grabs one of my hands and Roy Lee grabs my other hand, both of them pulling me up. I stumble once I get on my feet but Roy Lee grabs my waist, steadying me. I give him a small smile but he just looks at me worriedly.

"Cora?" Aunt Elsie's voice calls out.

"I'm ok. Just got the wind knocked out of me." I half lie.

"My heart's pounding. I thought the mine blew up. Oh, Homer." We turn to see her nice white fence blown to bits. "I waited six months for the company carpenter to put up that fence. Didn't I tell you not to blow yourself up?"

"Yes, ma'am." Homer mutters.

"Then let's not."

She goes back in the house and I turn to Roy Lee. I raise my hand and put it on the side of his head, where he got hit. "You ok?"

He slightly flinches at my touch but calms down. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. It'll probably just bruise. What about you? You got some pretty nasty bruises on your face. What happened?"

I panic and before I could think up of an explanation, Homer comes up beside me. "We were rough-housing last night. She told me to not go easy on her and we both got a little carried away. I accidently hit her in the face a few times but she kneed me below the belt."

I give my cousin a big thankful smile and he returns it. Roy Lee seemed to have bought it because he never brought it back up.


	3. Quentin

**Quentin**

Over the past weeks, every time I saw Homer, he was doing something about rockets. I see him watching launching sessions, reading rocket books, and I saw him writing a letter to Dr. von Braun, a scientist. He wanted to talk to Quentin because he seemed to know everything about rockets. We were at lunch, trying to talk Homer out of it.

"You can't sit with him, Homer. He's a weirdo. You go ahead but you can kiss your social life good-bye." Roy Lee said.

Home gets up from his seat and walks over to Quentin. We stare after him, seeing what he would do. They start talking but then Homer looks around the cafeteria before sitting down in the seat across from Quentin, making everybody talk. I groan, knowing we will now be hanging out with a geek who will be nothing but a smart ass and a pain in the butt.

I push my food away from me, shaking my head. "I ain't hungry no more. That just ruined my lunch."

The next day after school, all five of us were in Roy Lee's car. Homer and Quentin were in the backseat while O'Dell, Roy Lee, and I were in the front seat. The two in the back were looking at some rocketry book. "Potassium chlorate and sulphur."

"Well, what'd you use?" Asks the nerd.

"Uh, something like that." Homer answers, lying through his teeth. "Hey, Quentin, this is great. This is exactly—we have everything we need in here. Roy Lee, drive me to my house. We can use my basement."

"At least nobody'll see us down there." Roy Lee comments. He turns the key but the engine sputters, making him sigh.

"You got a lose choke cable." Quentin says. "You hear that? The butterfly valve isn't closing all the way. Uh, I build an internal combustion engine and entered it in the science fair."

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't happen to have it on you, would ya?" Roy Lee snaps, glaring at him. He opens his door and so does O'Dell, me following them to help them with the engine.

That entire day, we stayed down in the basement, working on building the rocket. I was trying to made the fins and when I heard a clang, I looked up to see Roy Lee raising his arms, looking like he won something and saw he finally cut a body for the rocket, out of metal.

I then started to come up with a little nickname for our rocket that we were building while the guys were making everything with the power tools. I looked over and saw Quentin reading a newspaper, O'Dell making the top, and Roy Lee and Homer doing something with the metal.

I kept my gaze on Roy Lee for just a second longer, smiling. He looked cute when he was trying to concentrate real hard. "OW!" I heard. I quickly turn to see Homer burnt something on Roy Lee's hand and now he was glaring at my cousin.

I tried my best not to laugh at him but I accidently ended up letting out a small snort. I automatically shut up after that, embarrassed. "You missed a spot." I heard Quentin point out to O'Dell.

O'Dell stops what he's doing to turns to glare at Quentin, not liking the smart ass. We put the fins on and the top of the rocket onto the metal body of it and we all step away, proud at what we accomplished. "This thing's starting to look like a rocket."

"Yeah, well, listen to this. _'Weld the washer to the base of the rocket body, creating a combustion chamber and nozzle._'" Homer says.

"We don't know how to weld." Roy Lee stated the obvious.

"Weld. Homer, you're brothers in metal shop. Maybe he could, uh-" O'Dell starts but trails off.

"Do we really need this nozzle thing?" I ask.

"For crying out loud!" Quentin almost screamed. "The nozzle's the most important part! It directs the flow of the hot gases!"

"Hey, cool it, Quentin!" Roy Lee shouts. "Man, talking about your hot gases!"

I laugh out loud, making the others to laugh except Quentin who didn't understand the joke. Later that night, Quentin and O'Dell went home, Homer went in his room and I was walking Roy Lee out to his car. He got in the driver's seat and shut the door but opened his window. He leans out a bit and I lean down, so we were eye level.

"You're pretty protective, aren't ya?" I joke.

"What do you mean?"

"When you blew up on Quentin like that."

"Well, when someone starts yelling at my girl, you're damn right I'm gonna get protective!" He shouts with a smile.

We both chuckle but stop when I hear my Aunt's voice. "Cora, hun, you gotta come inside now. It's almost eleven and you got school in the morning. Time for bed."

"Alright, I'll be right there, Aunt Elsie."

I turn back to Roy Lee and see him staring at me with an intense look. "What? Is something wrong?"

He gently smiles at me, shaking his head. "No, nothing's wrong. Just thinkin is all. I'll see you tomorrow, ok? Love you, baby."

He leans slightly out of his car and gives me a kiss. "Love you, too." I say as he starts up his car. He gives me a big smile before pulling out of the driveway and heading back home. I go back inside and hop on the couch, ready for sleep finally after a hard day of working on a rocket.

I woke up the next morning and got ready for the day. Today, Homer and I were walking to school. "Hey, Cora, I gotta show you something." He takes off his backpack and opens it. He pulls out our rocket that we built yesterday. He understands my confusion and explains, "Mr. Bykovsky weld us a washer last night. I went to see him and he said he would help us out. Now we got ourselves a rocket!"

"Homer, what if your dad found out?! Do you realize how much trouble we'll both be in? And Mr. Bykovsky will lose his job if we get caught." I say.

"Yeah, but we won't get caught. Don't worry about it. Everything will be fine. Now come, we gotta hurry. I told Miss Riley that I would bring in the rocket before school."

We ran the rest of the way to school and before I knew it, it was lunch time and Homer just got done explaining to the boys what he already explained to me. Roy Lee was holding the rocket in his hand, looking closely at it. "Mr. Bykovsky did a dang good job on this."

"Yeah, well, he used a washer for the weld." Homer says. "Man, it looks just like it did in the picture."

"Prodigenous." Quentin says, confusing us all with his new word.

"Give me that." Our principle, Mr. Turner, comes up and snatches our rocket away from Roy Lee, making Homer stand up. "What is this, a weapon of some kind?"

"No, sir. It's our rocket that we built." I say, standing up too.

"I don't allow dangerous devices on school grounds."

"Mr. Turner, I asked Cora and Homer to bring that to school. To show it in class. You know, these kids are thinkin about entering that county science fair." Miss. Riley comes up, saving us but confusing us since we never thought about the science fair.

"Be careful, gentlemen…and young lady. I'm gonna have my eye on you." Our principle says, giving me back the rocket.

"Thank you, Mr. Turner." Miss. Riley says.

"That science fair is rigged. Al the judges are from Welch so only the kids from Welch ever win." Quentin states.

"And besides, science fairs are for geeks." Roy Lee adds. After a second, he says, "No offense, Quentin."

I see the nerd nod his head in approval after he hears that and I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, it's too bad you feel that way." Miss. Riley interrupts. "You know, the winners go on to the National Science Fair in Indianapolis and colleges from all over the country hand out scholarships. It's great. Have a good lunch, kids."

She then walks away, with Homer following her. The four of us stay behind, finishing our lunch. I was about to get up but then I stopped and turned to the nerd of the group. "By the way, Quentin. I got a name for the rocket. I looked it up in one of the rocketry books and thought it would be a good name; Auk 1. I thought it would fit."

He thinks about it, nodding his head. "That seems to work. I like it, it fits. That's really good thinking, Cora."

"Thanks."

Soon after school, we all meet up on top of a hill and set up the rocket. I got to paint '_Auk 1'_ on the side of it, in red paint. We were all standing around it, looking at it. "Auk 1. Stroke of genius, Homer."

"It won't fly unless somebody lights the fuse." Homer states, getting out a match.

I was next to Roy Lee and O'Dell and I heard my boyfriend whisper, "What the hell is auk?"

"A bird that don't fly." I answer.

"What, kinda like a parakeet?"

"Ready?" Homer asks. He lights the fuse as we all hop over a big metal wall that should protect us.

All five of us started counting down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…"

The rocket blew off into the air but it went in a certain direction. We stood up and watched it head for town. "Holy shit, it's headed for the mine." Roy Lee says before he and O'Dell take off running.

I started running down the hill, chasing after the rocket, not wanting anybody to get hurt. I overheard Quentin yell, "I told you we didn't know what we were doing! I told you!"

I looked back and saw Homer coming after me so I slowed down a bit and we both started running to the mine at the same pace. I looked around a bit and saw everybody staring our way. I look up ahead and see Uncle John holding our rocket, glaring at us. I saw Homer still looking around but then I nudged him with my elbow. "What?" I gesture to where I was looking and then he sighed. "Oh, no."

We walk up to Uncle John, looking sheepish. He continues to glare at us, looking down at the rocket a few times. "So, this is what you two've been up to in the basement, huh?"

"Yes, sir." I say quietly, at the same time Homer says it loudly.

"Damn, you two. You could've killed somebody with this idiot thing."

I stay silent, not knowing what to say. Homer thankfully spoke up. "I know, sir. I'm sorry. I was—"

Some company men walk out of Uncle John's office, seeing what the commotion was about. "Well, Homer and Cora here want to be rocket scientists. Is that right, John?"

"They have no idea what they want to be. But I know what they are. They're both a menace, and a couple of damn thieves."

"Dad." Homer tried to reason.

"And so is whoever helped them. Ike Bykovsky did this, didn't he?" Uncle John asked, gesturing to the rocket. "Don't you ever let me catch you with these fool things on company property again, you understand me?"

"Yes, sir." I nearly squeak.

"Yes, sir." Homer says, sounding like he wants to snap.

"Then go home." He orders.


	4. Rockets

**Rockets**

I had never been more embarrassed in my entire life than I was at that moment. I knew Uncle John meant for me to go back to his house which was my home but this time, I actually went home, where my dad lived. Thank goodness he wasn't home at all throughout the whole night. Probably spent the night at some bar or something.

Either way, he wasn't there when I woke up so I got dressed and headed out to meet the boys. Instead of hanging around town, we all hung out by a small creek in the woods. Homer and Quentin were near the water while Roy Lee, O'Dell, and I were sitting on a log, watching Roy Lee shoot a gun at his car.

I didn't hear what Homer and Quentin were talking about but I was trying not to laugh at how Roy Lee was getting pissed off at his car. After his second shot, I couldn't help but ask him, "Hey, do you think I'll be able to take a few shots?"

"Sure, baby. Give me just two more then you can have it." He says, right before he takes another shot.

Right after he takes his fifth shot, I hear Homer yell, "Would you cut it out, Roy Lee?!"

"Die you son of a bitch." He mutters under his breath before taking another shot at his car, blowing out one of his lights.

"Come on. My turn now." O'Dell says, trying to cheat for his turn.

I turn to glare at him as he laughs at me. Homer snatches the gun out of Roy Lee's hand and throws it on the ground. I see he was pissed off bit I didn't know what about. Roy Lee quickly stands up and faces Homer. "Hey, man. What's with you?"

"Man, we should be trying to get in that science fair instead of sitting around here like a bunch of hillbillies!" Homer shouts.

Roy Lee walks off and snatches up his gun again, talking. "I got some really bad news for you, Homer. We are a bunch of hillbillies."

"Besides, um, didn't your dad say no more rockets?" O'Dell questions.

"No. He said no more rockets on _company property_."

"Do you realize how far we'd have to go to get off company property?" I ask.

"Yeah, we have to go to Snakeroot."

"Snakeroot? That's eight miles." Quentin nearly laughs.

"It's not that far. I mean, we could walk if we have to." Homer suggests.

"Oh, walk. That's a fantastic idea!" O'Dell mocks, laughing.

"Let's go! Come on!" Homer shouts.

"Wake the hell up, will ya, Homer?!" Roy Lee jumps in. "I got about as much chance of winning that science fair as you do winning a football scholarship. I know I'm gonna be a miner. I've known my entire life. What the hell's so bad about mining coal?"

"Nothing, Roy Lee. Coal mining's great. That's why your step-daddy's the biggest drunk in West Virginia."

I step up, seeing the upset look on Roy Lee's face. "Homer, that's enough. You're goin a bit too far with this. Just calm down."

"I'm goin a bit too far?! Why don't you tell everyone here what you've been keepin a secret all these years, huh? You want to say something or should I?" Homer yells at me, not giving me a chance to open my mouth before he yells again. "Cora gets beat by her dad! Every time she steps foot in her house. That's why she's always at my house. I think she's gone _a bit too far_ with this secret."

It's suddenly really quiet as I stare at my cousin with rage and hatred in my eyes. Nobody was supposed to know, I didn't want anybody to worry about me and I didn't want to make a big deal over nothing. Now he just ruined everything.

"Cora?" I hear Roy Lee's small voice come from behind me. I squeeze my eyes shut and turn around, facing my best friend who was also my boyfriend. "Is that true?" I glare at the ground, not wanting to speak. I just nod my head, not looking him in the eye. "Why didn't you ever tell me?!"

"I don't know. You already had a lot to deal with at your house; I didn't want to add any more stress to your list." I admit.

"Didn't you trust me with this?! Did you even think about mentioning this to me?!" I didn't know how to respond to that so I just stood there quietly. The others were still watching us as we fought. I heard Roy Lee sigh and pace around for a few second before stopping. "I feel like you don't trust me enough to tell me this. I wonder how much I really know about you, now."

"Roy Lee, you know me. You know almost everything about me. That was the only thing I didn't tell you, I swear."

"Well, considering how many times I saw you bruised up or scraped, you said it was 'cause you and Homer were playing around. All of that was just a lie! What else have you lied to me about, huh?!"

"Nothing! I've told you everything except that my dad beats me! Trust me on this one!" I plead.

Roy Lee scoffs, shaking his head. "If you can't trust me then why should I trust you? I don't want to be in a relationship where I'm not trusted. I think it'd be better if we either, split up or take a break."

I look at my best friend with tears in my eyes, shaking my head. Roy Lee kept a straight face, staring me in the eyes but I could even see it hurt him a little to say this. "I think that'd be for the best."

I didn't know what to do. I had tears ready to stream down my face but I didn't let them fall. Homer just grabbed all our rocket stuff and started walking off, towards Snakeroot. O'Dell, Roy Lee, and Quentin go the opposite direction, leaving me there to choose. I thought I just lost my two best friends and one new friend so I decided to follow my family.

I ran after my cousin and took half the stuff from Homer, carrying them as we walked side by side. It was silent as we walked about two miles. Finally, the silence was broken by Homer. "Cora…I'm real sorry. I didn't mean for it to go that far."

"It's alright. It was just gonna happened sooner or later. Honestly, if it happened later, it might have been worse." I say quietly, not wanting to talk loud, knowing if I did, I would burst into tears.

"That still don't make it better. I'm part of the reason why you guys broke up. I shouldn't have said anything."

"I said it's alright. Can we not talk about it? Please, Homer." I beg, quietly.

"Sure, Corry. What do you want to talk about?" Homer asks.

"I don't know. Personally, I don't know anything right now. I don't know what to do. I'm tired of sneaking into my own house just for some sleep or some fresh clothes. I just want a home where I don't have to worry about getting beat or yelled at."

It was silent for a few more minutes until he spoke up again. "You could live with us. You're already over at our house like it's yours too. I could talk to mom and dad and see what they say. They'd probably welcome you in open arms. Then we would really be siblings, huh?" Homer jokes, nudging me.

I smile gently, thinking about that. Suddenly there was a big truck that passed us and when I looked to see, I saw the three boys sitting in the bed of the truck, watching us. They had the truck pull over and they hopped out, walking over to me and my cousin. I couldn't help but watch Roy Lee and saw he stuffed his hands in his pockets, keeping his head down. It was silent, the five of us standing there until O'Dell said, "God's honest truth, Homer, what are the chances of a bunch of kids from Coalwood actually winning the National Science Fair?"

"A million to one, O'Dell." Homer says, factually.

"That good, huh? Well, why didn't you say so? Come on, give me that." O'Dell says, grabbing a box from Homer.

The rest of the boys take some things out of our arms, lightening our load. I stayed either behind everybody or in front of everybody most of the time, not wanting to talk about what happened. Hours later, finally midday, we got to Snakeroot. Homer and I were in front of everyone, and then it was Roy Lee and O'Dell, and Quentin in the back.

Once we walked over the hill, we saw nothing but a large area that was clear. There were woods around it but it was like a big circle of nothing. You could see mountains and more trees all over at the top of where we were. I admired the view when I heard Quentin, "We hiked eight miles for this?"

"Oh, it's great." Homer admired. "What should we call it?"

"How 'bout 'slack dump'?" Roy Lee shouts.

I smiled, even though I didn't want to talk to him for a while, his jokes still made me laugh. He just had that personality, no matter how mad you were at him; he could still make you smile. That was the case for me, anyway. "How 'bout 'No Man's Land'?" O'Dell asks.

"'Cape Coalwood'?" I suggest.

"Cape Coalwood. It's perfect, Cora!" Homer yells, running around the area. "We could built a blockhouse over there and, and a, and a launch pad! And we could even build a test stand!"

Before we left the hill that day, we put up a flag that said _'Coalwood Missile Agency'_. It was a white flag with red marker on it, put on the tallest wood stick we could find to set it up.

Weeks went by, us building our launch pad and small shack. A few days after the fight between Roy Lee and I, he came up to me and said he didn't want to ignore me and that we could still be friends. I hated it but I agreed, thinking being friends and talking to each other was better than ignoring and not talking.

I was handing the pieces of wood to Quentin so we could hammer them in while O'Dell was stacking the wood for me and Homer and Roy Lee were making the roof. I'll admit, even thought we were broken up, I was still able to admire him. I looked up once and saw him hammering away on the roof, making it stable but at the same time, he was showing off his muscles.

I smiled and looked down. I went to give Quentin a piece of wood and saw he was barely banging on the wood, hitting it as if it was a baby. When he went to grab another nail, the piece of wood just fell over and made a plop on the ground. He looked confused and I just rolled my eyes. "Quentin, you have to actually use the hammer."

I shove him out of his seat, grab a nail, put up the wood and star banging on it. I realized I was making lots of noise with the weight I was throwing into with the hammer. I made sure it was secure before turning to Quentin. "See? That's how you use a hammer. You show no mercy to the wood. Don't be gentle with it." I say as I shove the hammer back into his hands.

I looked around and saw Homer looking at me proudly and saw the other three were staring at me in question. I didn't know what they weren't thinking so I just shrugged my shoulders, confused. "What? All I did was put up a piece of wood."

"How'd you know how work like that?" O'Dell asked.

"I don't know. Homer and I would always make little wooden projects when we were little. He would always make the pieces and cut them out while I hammered them in."

O'Dell and Roy Lee turn to Homer, staring at him accusingly and disappointedly. Homer just looked at them then went back to work while talking. "What? I didn't want to hit my hand on the hammer when I was little. I've seen it happen with my dad and believe me; it wasn't pretty. Do any of you see me using a hammer now? No. I still don't want to smash my hand on a hammer."

I laugh at him, shaking my head. He was smart and fun but sometimes, he was just downright pathetic. A few days later, I went to my house. I wanted to get some clothes and just lie in my bed. But I didn't get that. The second I walked through that door, a beer bottle came flying my way.

I ducked just in the nick of time because it smashed into pieces when it hit the wall behind me. Honestly, I don't really remember anything. All I know is that I was getting yelled at a lot, I was getting punched and kicked. The main thing I do remember is my father stabbing me. He brought out a knife and stabbed me in my shoulder, when I was knocked down.

I think he left to go pass out somewhere and after that, I got up, left the house, and made my way to Homer's house. The only thing is, it was raining outside and it was almost midnight. And I wasn't able to make to the house. I only made it half way until I collapsed and dropping to the ground, falling in the mud.

Some footsteps were coming my way and then they stopped. I felt someone wrap their arms around me and pick me up. I peeked open my eyes and was almost shocked at what I saw. I saw Jim running back to his house, with me in his arms, looking worried and scared.


	5. Challenges

**Challenges**

What felt like hours, we finally got to the house. Jim ran up the porch and threw the door open, yelling for Uncle John and Aunt Elsie to come quick. I kept zoning in and out, not paying attention. I would've fallen asleep altogether but Uncle John kept telling me to stay awake. Because I wasn't paying attention and I was so out of it, Aunt Elsie was done sewing up my shoulder real quick.

Once she was done, she sat down next to the couch, humming softly, brushing my hair out of my face. It calmed me down, wanting me to go to sleep but I wanted to see Homer. Usually after I get beat, I can't fall asleep without talking with Home. I don't know why but it always seemed to take my mind off things. I tried to ask Aunt Elsie for Homer but she kept saying he wasn't here.

I was half asleep before I noticed that the rain got worse and I soon heard thunder and lightning lighting up the room. I would sometimes jump from the sound of thunder but Aunt Elsie would calm me down again, giving my hand a gentle squeeze and continue humming.

Suddenly the door banged open and I heard lots of yelling and laughter. It made me cringe, knowing I was so close to falling asleep. I heard Aunt Elsie hush whoever came in real quick, making sure it was quiet. She got up and walked away but when I opened my eyes and turned my head, I saw Homer, Roy Lee, O'Dell, and Quentin, at the doorway, soaked to the bone.

Aunt Elsie tried to whisper but it didn't work since I heard her. "Homer, she's been asking for you. It's bad this time."

I watch as Homer cautiously makes his way towards me, making eye contact. He sat down beside the couch and gently grabbed a hold of my hand. His voice was quiet and soft. "Hey, Corry. How're you holdin up?"

"Hey. I'm ok, I've been through worse." I say, lying.

"Really?"

"No, not really. This is probably one of the worst ones, yet." I say, smiling a bit because he knew that I was lying.

He gives me a small smile back. "I hear you were askin' for me."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk. We usually talk after nights like these and it helps me sleep." We were both starting to whisper, not knowing why but it felt right to do so.

"What do you wanna talk about, then?" He gently asks, curious.

"I don't know. How about…what were you boys doin out in the rain?"

Homer looks down, almost embarrassed. He mumbles something that I didn't hear so I tell him to speak louder. He sighs and looks back up and says louder, "We were playing in rain, splashing around in the mud."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even thought it hurt my body and ribs, I kept laughing, a real laugh. Once I stopped, I looked over and saw the three boys were still there. I gave them all a smile but I only got two in return. Roy Lee just kept staring at me with a straight face, almost the one he gave me when we broke up. Except this one held more emotion in it. He had tears in his eyes, threatening to fall.

I didn't say anything about it to him, knowing he might get pissed about somebody pointing it out that he was crying. That night, the four boys were sitting around me/the couch and we were all talking and joking around, like the good ole days. Before I knew it, it was way past midnight and everyone had to go home. Homer said goodnight and gave me one last smile and a kiss on the forehead before heading off the bed, himself. Thankfully, I slept like a baby, not waking up until early next morning.

We were at Cape Coalwood, ready to shoot one of our first rockets. O'Dell, Quentin, and I were in the shack while Homer and Roy Lee were at the launch pad, setting everything up. I heard Homer shout, "Hi, Mr. Bolden!"

I turn to look and see Mr. Bolden getting out of his little blue car, pulling out his son. He shouts out to my cousin, "Hey, Homer. I heard you tellin Ike you were gonna be shootin off another rocket up here today. I, I thought that might be something we'd like to see."

I turn to see Roy Lee running back to the shack, after lighting the rocket. He turns the corner and enters the small shack, stopping next to me and setting a hand on my back, making my body tense up but relax after a second. We barely start counting down when it flew off.

It went up in the air but did a turn and headed straight for Mr. Bolden. We yell for him to get out of the way and he jumped to the side, landing in dirt. We race towards him, making sure he was alright. Roy Lee, O'Dell, and I kept running to grab the rocket and saw it still smoking. Roy Lee gently pushed me away from it so he could grab it, burning his fingers while at it and tripped O'Dell.

We get back to Mr. Bolden and he asks to look at the rocket. Roy Lee gives it to him and he takes a look around the washer. "That's a good job on the weld, Homer. But the heat from the exhaust melted the washer."

Quentin spoke up, seeming offended. "It's referred to as a nozzle…uh, sir."

"Son, you can call it whatever you wanna call it but you're gonna have to have a better steel that can take the heat. I can order it for you."

"Well, that's be great, Mr. Bolden." Homer smiles.

"But it's kind of expensive."

The next thing I knew, we were all down by the railroad, listening to O'Dell as he had a crowbar, trying to pop part of the track loose. "Twelve miles of scrap iron and all we gotta do it pop it loose."

"Yeah, now what are we gonna tell the railroad when they catch us prying up the track?" Roy Lee questions.

"It's abandoned. See, the county's covered in abandoned spur lines. A mine shuts down, the track just rusts over." He puts more weight into the crowbar and finally popping a part of the railroad out of its original place. He picks it up and hands it to Quentin. "Eight dollars and twenty cents."

"This is worth eight twenty?"

"A ton." I sigh, realizing how much metal we'll have to get. "Come on."

We tie up a loose piece and it takes all five of us to finally remove it from the track. "This thing weighs a ton all by itself!" Roy Lee shouts.

"Four hundred pounds." O'Dell informs us.

"Four hundred pounds?" I repeat, feeling like it weighed more.

"O'Dell, you're saying this thing is worth a buck sixty five?" Homer asks.

We all sit down on the track, trying to catch our breath. I lay down as the boys stay sitting up but then I heard a train whistle. Off in the distance, it was faint but, oh boy, I heard it alright. We all slowly turn to O'Dell, silent but then Homer says, "O'Dell?"

"It's abandoned." He reassures. "Uh, look at the rust. Caretta number two shut down in fifty one." We listen once more and the whistle becomes clearer and a lot closer. "Shit!"

We jump up to our feet, trying to put the piece of metal back to its original place. "Forget it! Forget it! Just stop the train!" Homer shouts, running down the tracks, the rest of us following.

Roy Lee starts running the opposite direction but quickly turns around when Quentin shouts his name. All five of us run down the track, yelling for the train to stop. We turn a corner and I see it coming our way, making me run faster and waving my arms. I look down and see another track, going a different way, making it look like it was coming our way.

The train passes us and the driver gave us a small wave. I breathed out a loud and long breath, flopping back on the ground, catching my breath. My ribs could barely take the pain. "Damn you, O'Dell. I'm blaming this one on you."

"What? How is this my fault?"

I glare up at him, making him confused. "You're the one that said to pry up the track! You tell us it's abandoned! What if it wasn't and we weren't that lucky! I'm outta breath because of you! Man, I can barely breathe now, my ribs are killing me. Man, I hate you."

The boys can't stop laughing at my reaction, knowing I'm just being stubborn and acting childish. Homer helps me up, being careful. Over th next few weeks, we make numerous rockets. Every single one of them has exploded somehow. The first one flew a few feet up but then exploded, making us all jump. The second one did the same as the first one except something went flying up in the air after it exploded.

The third rocket flew all around the launch pad. Like, it was flying circles in the air and on the ground for a few moments before it exploded. The fourth one didn't even fly. It went blew u once the fuse was lit. the Fifth one went in the air but exploded. The sixth one was the same as the fourth one. Number seven went high in the air until it exploded but that gave us a hint at something we did right that time.

The eighth rocket we launched was the same as number seven and nine. The tenth one fly high in the air and landed on the ground and after we started cheering, thinking we got it just right, it exploded. Number eleven was just like another number three. Rocket twelve was another four and six. Thirteen was the same seven, eight, and nine.

Fourteen scared the shit out of us. it flew really high but it spun around and came after us. We all ran like the devil was after us and jumped in a trench/ditch we built. We ducked and took cover as the rocket hit the other side of our safe place, making us all flinch and jump.

Soon enough, one day we were talking about what we were doing wrong as we got ride in the back of an old truck. Quentin started talking first. "My guess is that we're getting air pockets in the body propellant. When fire hits 'em, they act like little combustion chambers. I think we're gonna need some liquor of some sort."

"How about gasoline?" Roy Lee suggests.

"That's a god idea." O'Dell joins. "Five unidentifiable high school students lost their lives early this morning when their toy rocket exploded."

"Alcohol. I mean alcohol is stable." Homer suggests. "And it'll evaporate quickly."

"Yeah, but it'd have to be one hundred percent undiluted. None of that water down stuff they sell at the company store. I have no idea where we could find that." Quentin says.

I see Roy Lee gets this big grin on his face, getting an idea. The boys thought it'd be a good idea for them to get the alcohol without me, considering how rough and drunk these guys could be. They went to get it one night and the next day, we used it for the fuel, ready for our next launching.


	6. Launching

**Launching**

The five of us were in Miss Riley's car, her driving us up to Cape Coalwood to see our launching. But once we got to the top of the hill, we saw half the town there, many cars parked around the area. "Great." Homer sighed.

"How'd they find out about it?" O'Dell questioned.

Homer and I look at each other and say at the same time, "Jim."

We all get out and start to unload the car with our rocket stuff. Roy Lee grabs a box from the trunk and starts talking. "You know, we poop out this time, the whole county's gonna be laughing at us."

"Who cares what any of them think?" Quentin says.

"Easy for you to say, Quentin. You're used to people making fun of you." Roy Lee snaps.

"Alright, now." Miss Riley interrupts. "Quentin's right y'all."

We all walk off and head to the launch pad. As we pass Jim, I hear Homer call out, "Hey, couldn't you guys find anything better to do?"

"Hey, listen." Jim calls back. "There's no practice on Sundays. You little sisters are the only entertainment in town. We were gonna drive over to War but then we thought, hey why not watch Homer blow himself up?"

We got everything set up and got ready behind the shack. Homer quickly ran off to the crowd to tell them they might wanna back up. We got the string ready and Homer said, "It won't fly unless somebody pulls the string."

We thought it should be him to launch it so he agrees and pulls it, lighting the fuse. We started counting down, praying that it would work this time.

After the last two seconds, the rocket flew high up in the air. It went high, leaving a small trail of smoke behind it. We had to run out of the shack to actually see it better. We heard the whole crowd cheering as we all watched it fly in the air. I felt something grab my hand and when I looked down I saw a hand wrapped around mine. I looked to see whose hand it was and saw it was Roy Lee's hand holding mine, smiling at me.

I smiled back, wrapping my own hand around his. We both turned back to the rocket, watching it fall in the sky, landing on the ground. The next day, I was over at Homer's house again but this time, we were celebrating his birthday. Our Aunt Joanne sent him a sweater that she knitted and Homer had to wear it but I didn't see him in it yet.

They were eating breakfast when I came downstairs and the second I walked in the kitchen, I saw Homer dressed up in the sweater. I quickly turn around, covering my mouth from laughing. "Cora." Aunt Elsie scolds me.

I stay turned around, not wanting them to see my red face. "No, no, I wasn't laughing at Homer. I just….thought…of something funny."

"Oh, really? What did you think of?" Homer accuses.

"…How you look like a sausage!" I bust out laughing, Homer rolling his eyes as he kept eating, Jim joining my little laughing fest, and Aunt Elsie scolding us.

That moment, Uncle John walks in, getting some coffee. Aunt Elsie says his name, trying to remind him of Homer. "Oh, uh, happy birthday, Homer."

"And I got this in the mail. Must be a present for grandma." Aunt Elsie gives Homer a package.

It turned out he got an autographed picture of Dr. von Braun. I quickly ran upstairs to grab Homer's present I got him but when I came down, I saw Homer getting up to leave. I didn't question him, knowing he got mad about something with Uncle John. I follow him out the door and race after him. I knew he wanted to be alone but I wanted to give him his present.

I call out his name and he quickly turns around, looking ready to snap. "What do you want?!" I didn't say anything other than give him his present, which was a book about rocket history. I shoved it in his hands and walked away, heading towards a place where I haven't been in a while.

I take my time and make my way to the park. I sit on one of the swings, just sitting there, swinging back and forth a bit. I stared at the ground, lost in my thoughts. "Mind if we join you?"

I jump from fright at the sound of someone's voice. I quickly turn around and see Roy Lee, O'Dell, and Quentin. I give them all a small smile and nod my head, wanting some kind of company.

Roy Lee sits on one swing on my left side; O'Dell sits on my right side, and Quentin sits on the bottom of the slide, not far from us. "So, what have you guys been up to today?"

"Not much. Getting ready for the launching tomorrow." O'Dell answers.

"What about you?" Quentin asks.

I shrug my shoulders, looking down again. "Same. Homer and Uncle John got into another fight. Don't know what it was but I got an idea it was about rockets again….when do you think it'll be over?"

"What will be over?" Roy Lee questions.

"The fighting. The beating. The mining. The pain. Just everything."

Nobody answered my question and to be honest, they didn't have to. We all knew that it would never end and everything would just keep going, never stopping. All of a sudden, when I was looking around the park, a memory came to me. I tried to hide my smile but I ended up just laughing a bit.

They boys turned to me, looking confused. I explain, "Remember when we were kids? We used to come here all the time. You guys would always toss a football around and wouldn't let me play with you until I shoved one of you in the dirt."

"Yeah, I remember that." O'Dell says. "And I also remember that it was usually me who got shoved in the dirt."

Roy Lee and I laugh, both of us nodding our heads. "Yeah, but that was because you were the weakest out of the three of you." I defend myself, trying not to laugh.

"No, that wasn't the reason. The reason was because you just liked picking on me and shoving me in the dirt, just for fun."

"…That might be part of the reason."

"See?! The truth comes out!" O'Dell shouts, standing up. He starts turning around, pretending to shout to people, when nobody was near us. "Cora Hickam admits it! She was a bully when we were kids!"

I jump up from my seat and tackle him, sitting on his back, not letting him up. All four of us were laughing and O'Dell kept trying to get up but just as he was about to push me, Roy Lee came and sat down next to me, on O'Dell's back. He tried to get up again but this time, Quentin joined us.

He kept complaining to be let up but we were all still laughing, even him. The rest of the day, we kept tackling each other, chasing one another, and even cussing each other out for fun. The only thing missing was Homer but Quentin joined us so it was still four of us friends but it just wasn't quite the same without Homer.

The next day, we were all up at Cape Coalwood, getting ready to launch another rocket. Unfortunately, cheerleaders came this time and started cheering "Go Rocket Boys!" which pissed me off to no end but I didn't say anything but I _did _glare at them a lot.

We launched and this time, the whole crowd was counting down. Today for the launching, Aunt Elsie came too, which made it even better. So did one of my friends, Valentine Carmina. She was nice and she didn't judge. She told me once that she had a huge crush on Homer for the longest of time so I thought I might help her out a little. She was my first friend that was a girl because I always hung out with boys when I was a kid.

The rocket was launched and it seemed to go even higher than the last one. O'Dell got some binoculars to watch where it fell to the ground. He found it falling and got the spot where it landed and he, Roy Lee, and I all ran towards it. We were racing each other to see who would get there first. It still pained me to know that Roy Lee and I weren't together anymore but I kept thinking 'why not make the best out of being friends'.

I pushed O'Dell to the ground, making him trip and fall on Roy Lee, making them both fall. I laugh and sprint faster, thinking I was gonna win. All of a sudden, someone grabs my waist and throws me back into someone else. I saw I smashed into O'Dell and made him fall to the ground again, making him groan.

I looked up and saw Roy Lee laughing up a head of us and almost to the point where the rocket fell. We both get up and run after him. It was real funny because we didn't even plan it but we kept running and tackled Roy Lee at the same time, all three of us falling down.

A few days later, we were all walking to school listening to Homer read the newspaper. "_'The silvery cylinder burst forth in a fiery column of smoke and flame, racing the very wind as it soared into the sky, a messenger of these Rocket Boys of Big Creek, these boys and young girl who use their brains, not brawn, who play not football, but with Apollo's fire.'"_

"Rocket _Boys?_" I question. "Don't they know that there is a girl in the group too?!"

All of a sudden, the girl Homer really likes comes up to us. "Hi, Homer."

"Hey, Dorothy." Homer smiles, happy to be recognized.

"Would you please sign my newspaper?" I just know you're gonna be really famous someday."

"Sure."

Homer grabs the newspaper but stares at Dorothy, not moving at all. I try not to laugh but I let out a chuckle when I heard Roy Lee. "H-O-M-E-R."

Realization hits my cousin as he starts to write his name on the newspaper. Next thing I know, a bunch of policemen come out of the school and puts us in handcuffs, dragging us down to the office. I was scared and didn't know what to do. Thankfully, Homer knew what I was feeling and quickly but quietly grabbed my hand, letting me know he was there for me.

We all got thrown into chairs, and started being questioned by our principle and the officers. The door swings open and we look up to see Miss Riley. "What in the world is going on here?" she looks down to us and sees our position. "You have these children in handcuffs. You have these children in handcuffs in a high school, Mr. Turner!"

The police officer cuts her off. "You probably heard about the forest fire last week over by Welch. A lot of timber went up in smoke."

"Mr. Turner, you take these handcuffs off these children." Miss. Riley says, ignoring him.

"They found a rocket on the side of the road." Our principle clears.

The officer now continues. "We knew it started the fire, ma'am. What we didn't know is where it came from, till this morning. Mr. Hickam, can you account for all your rockets?"

"No, sir. I can't."

We get dragged once more but this time, we get dragged into a cop car. All I know is that we were put in jail for a few hours until our parents got us out. Well, for me, my uncle got me out. Let me tell you, he was _not_ happy. "If you two weren't minors, you'd both be in the state penitentiary."

"I know, dad—" Homer starts but gets cut off by Uncle John again.

"Homer, I've been confused by you, I've been mad as hell at you. But, boy, it's the first time in your life I've been ashamed of you. And that goes for you too, Cora."

We got to the car and before I could say anything, I heard yelling. I quickly turn around to find Roy Lee getting smacked around by his step-dad. I didn't even think about it before I went running over there, with Uncle John and Homer calling my name. I jump in between the two and end up grabbing his step-dad's arm, making him stop hitting Roy Lee for a moment.

But instead of hitting Roy Lee, he punched me in the face, making me lose my balance and fall to the ground. Uncle John pins the drunken man to the wall, pissed as all hell. I heard Roy Lee's step-dad say, "We ain't at the mine now, Hickam. This ain't your business!"

"Get in the car with Homer, son." Uncle John orders Roy Lee as he helps me up to my feet, gently and carefully.

Roy Lee and I get to the car and wait for Uncle John to be done. I see Roy Lee wanting to cry but he tries to stay strong so I put a hand on his arm and lean my head on his shoulder, giving him some kind of comfort. I knew it was hard for him, I knew what it felt like to get beat.

Roy Lee slowly pulled his arm away from my grasp and when I thought he didn't want me to comfort him and I was about to move away from him; he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his body, holding me tightly but gentle at the same time.

Even in the car, I could hear Uncle John threatening his step-dad. "You listen here, you drunken son of a bitch! If that boy's father was alive, he'd kick your ass. So I'm gonna have to do it for him. If I see him with a bruise, you get a scar. If I see him with a limp, you get CRUTCHES! And if you ever lay another hand on my little girl again, you'll find yourself digging your way out of the mine. You hear me? Do you hear me?!"

Uncle John starts walking back to the car, almost looking calm. I heard Roy Lee's step-dad yell, "You know, I'm reporting you to the union!"

"Screw you and your damn union." He says calmly. He gets in the car and slightly turns around to say to Roy Lee, "Your father was one of the best men I ever had working for me. I was lucky to know him."

When I looked up, I saw my best friend had a tear slowly falling down his cheek. I never thought about any of the stuff I was doing at the moment but I raised my hand and gently wiped away the tear, wrapping my arms around his waist and give him a small squeeze, letting him know I was there for him.

His grip around my body tightened but only slightly. He put one of his hands on my cheek, brushing the hair out of my face, not looking at me. We stay in that position, all the way home, nobody talking in the car, but the two of us giving each other comfort.

It hits me then that Uncle John called me his 'little girl'. I always knew my Aunt and Uncle thought of me as their daughter but it's different when you hear it coming from them. Even thought we were already family, I felt even closer to them and felt like I was one of their daughter and sister instead of their cousin and niece.


	7. Mining

**Mining**

Later that same day, we got O'Dell and Quentin to come with us to Cape Coalwood, since Roy Lee was already with us. I don't know why but it seemed like he kept sticking close to my side, for the rest of the day. He never left my side, not really talking at all.

Sometimes, he would grab my hand randomly or wrap an arm around my shoulders or even he would just whisper 'thank you' out of the blue. We all walked up the hill and Homer brought a container of alcohol and a match, along with a white cloth.

He filled a container of alcohol and stuffed the cloth in the opening, then lighting the cloth on fire. Homer threw the container at the shack that we built, months ago. The whole thing burst into flames in just seconds. We stare at it, watching it burn when Homer turns around, stomping off. "Come on. Let's go have fun for a change."

A few nights later, I was at a dance with Valentine. I don't know how but she somehow got me into a nice shirt and a long, flowing skirt. I felt really self-conscious but tried not to show it. I knew the boys were here too but I tried to enjoy some regular girl time for once. That plan didn't go so well since I felt a tap on my shoulder and when I turned around, I saw Roy Lee.

He was shuffling his feet around, looking nervous. "Hey. Uh, I was wondering if, um, if…you want to dance."

I look towards Valentine, silently asking her if it's alright if I leave her there for a bit. She excitedly nods her head with a smile. She knew everything about Roy Lee and I. "Sure." I say with a small smile.

Roy Lee smiles back and leads me to the dance floor. I silently curse myself for accepting his offer when a slow dance came on at that moment. He wraps a hand in mine and another hand on my waist and I let my other hand rest on his shoulders. We both jus sway to the music, not saying anything.

"You look good." He compliments, almost awkwardly.

"Thanks. You too."

"Listen, Cora. About a few days ago, with my step-dad and all…" He starts.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. I did the only thing I could think of at that moment and I got some consequences for not thinking, if you know what I'm saying." I explain.

He smiles and nods his head, "Yeah, I know what you're saying. Just wondering, why are you wearing a skirt?"

"I don't even know. Valentine got me in this outfit for the dance and said it would look nice and I don't know, I just couldn't say no, not when I saw how happy and excited she was." I laugh.

"Well, she was right. You do look really nice."

"Thank you." I blush and look down.

"Cora…I've been thinking about _us_ lately." Roy Lee said, making my eyes go wide and look up in his eyes. "I've been thinking that it really was the best thing for us to break up…"

It looked like he was about to say more but as the music continued, I stopped and dropped my hands, pulling them away from him. I walk away from him, not wanting to hear anything more. I walked back towards Valentine and saw her looking at Homer as he walked out of the building. I just go up to her side and say, "Go after him."

She listens and follows my cousin. I walk out of the place, not feeling in the mood for being around people. As I was walking back to the house, I felt the whole ground shake. The only thing I could think of was the mine. I raced towards it, still in my nice outfit with my skirt, rain pouring down on me.

There was a crowd forming as it rained outside. I was scared what might have happened to Uncle John. My dad worked in the mines but I wasn't quite worried about him. He never took care of me, he was never a real father, and Uncle John was always like a dad so I was more worried about him.

Almost the whole town was by the mine now, waiting to see what happened. Somebody shouted that the elevator was coming up, meaning some men were coming out. I felt somebody grab my arm and saw Homer, looking as worried as I did. I couldn't help myself but I launched myself into his arms, trying not to cry.

He quickly wrapped me up in his arms, hugging me tightly. The doors opened and everyone raced forwards, trying to see who was hurt and who was alive. Homer and I ran to the gates, trying to find Uncle John. Some people were carrying two stretchers with men who died. They showed everybody who they were and I was half shocked. There I saw Ike Bykovsky and my dad. Both dead.

I felt myself tear up a little but that was quickly gone as I heard someone yell, "Its John Hickam!" Everybody moved out of the way as Homer and I raced towards him, helping him on a stretcher. He had a bandage around his head and I heard someone say, "May have fractured his skull."

In the early morning, the rain finally cleared up and Aunt Elsie, Homer, Jim, and I were all in the kitchen, waiting for some news on Uncle John. Aunt Elsie was on the phone, talking to the doctor and put it down after a few minutes. She came back over to us and sat next to me, across from the boys. She grabbed a hold of my hand, looking down. "There's a chance your dad could lose his eye. He has to go to the hospital in Charleston, and Olga won't pay for it."

"I'm going down to the mine and ask Jake Mosby to sign me on."Jim announces.

"Oh, you can't do that, Jim. You've got school." Aunt Elsie rejects.

"Olga owns this house, mom, and half the furniture in it." Jim argues.

"If you drop out, you'll lose your scholarship." Homer points out.

"Homer, I'm the oldest. It's my responsibility."

"I'll work in the mine." Homer says, telling us he will, not suggesting it.

We all turn to him, shocked. 'He hates the mine and he would never work down there', he would always tell me. I believe him every time he said it but now, he was doing the thing he hated most in the world just to keep this family going. That made me admire how brave and strong my cousin is.

He didn't know but when his first day of mining came up, I woke up extra early to make his lunch. I just got done and that was when I heard him coming downstairs. He came in the kitchen and saw me there. "Cora, What are you doing up this early?"

"Uh, I made you your lunch. For your break time when you work." I say.

"Thanks." He gives me a grateful smile. "This technically makes us brother and sister, you know that, right? With your dad gone, mom and dad would be your legal guardians and they might even legally adopt you. We're basically siblings now."

I smile wide and give him a hug, knowing he needed it. "Yeah, I guess we are."

He worked in the mines at night and slept during the day while I went to school. It was never the same. Sure, I had Roy Lee, O'Dell, and Quentin but it wasn't the same without Homer. We all knew that and we even talked about it. About a week or two after the incident, Uncle John was home and even with him injured, he and Aunt Elsie legally adopted me so now Homer and Jim were my brothers and I was their sister. Roy Lee, O'Dell, Quentin, and I agreed to go see Homer after school, who was working during the day shift on that day.

It was his lunch break so he decided to pay him a visit. We were all sitting on some logs near the mine as Homer ate his lunch. "Everybody says to say hi. Michael and Billy." O'Dell says

"Valentine Carmina." I remind him, putting a small smile on his face.

"How about Miss. Riley?" Homer wonders.

"She ain't been around much. She got some new boyfriend over in Welch." Roy Lee said, his voice sounding heavy and thick.

"So, uh, what's it like down there?" Quentin asks.

"You get used to it after a while. Besides, shoveling coal has got its advantages. Check this out." Homer says, flexing his arm.

Quentin and Roy Lee squeezes his arm to feel how big his muscles are and admits, with jokingness in his voice, "Man, no wonder my step-dad can slug me so good."

"After a month down there, you'd be able to knock him out." Homer says.

"Well, I ain't in no hurry." His voice goes back to being small, but he looks at me as he says this.

We heard the loud whistle to let him know he had to go back down to the mine for his next shift. Homer puts away his lunch and ruffles my hair as he gets up. "Thanks for the lunch, Corry. See ya'll later."

"No problem. See you at dinner." I shout as he walks away.

We all said bye to my brother as he went back to work. And I did see him at dinner. Uncle John just got done saying our prayers and we started eating our food. Uncle John speaks to Homer, with proudness in his voice. "We appreciate the sacrifice you made here, Homer. But pretty soon, you'll be able to go back and finish up the school year."

"I'm not going back to school." Homer announces, making everyone stop in their place. "A few weeks left in the term. I'll just stay put."

"Well, I think you ought to finish high school." Aunt Elsie says. "Well, tell him, John."

"Homer's not a boy anymore. I don't think I can tell him anything." Uncle John disagrees.

Aunt Elsie gets up and walks away, the boys watching her leave. They continue eating but I don't move and turn to my brother. "Homer, please. Think about it. It's not the same without you at school. Everyone misses you. What about the science fair we were planning?"

Before Homer could say anything, Uncle John spoke first. "Now you listen here, Cora. Let him make his own decisions, he's old enough to do what he thinks is right. He chooses not to go back to school and stay in the mine so don't try to change his mind. This is his decision."

I didn't want to hear anymore so I got up from the table and walked away. I went up to my room and laid down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I heard my door open but I don't look to see who it was. I didn't have to, I knew who it was.

Homer sat on the edge of my bed, sighing. I turned my head slightly to look him in the eyes and he gives me a small smile and I return it. "Listen, Corry. I know this is hard for you but it is for me too. It just seems like there is nothing out there in the world for me so why not just skip part of it and just get to working."

"Homer, you should know better. If you came back, we would enter the science fair and win. I don't think we might win, I know we will win. You just have to come back to school and everything will work itself out. Trust me on this." I sit up, looking him straight in the eyes.

"I do trust you. But I can't go back to school. Not now. Dad is finally proud of me, I still got you and the guys as friends, and I'm ok. Nothing seems wrong right now. I'm gonna stick with mining until I think of something, ok?"

"Yeah, alright." I sigh and plop my body back down on the bed.

We were at school while Homer was at work. We were in Miss. Riley's class and for the first time in a long time, she came to school. She was telling us something about chemicals, I wasn't paying attention. But what did catch my attention was her asking Quentin, O'Dell, Roy Lee, and I to stay after class.

When the bell rings, everyone leaves except the four of us. Once everyone was gone, we all stood up and headed to the front of the classroom, where her desk was, where she was sitting. She looked up at us and sighed, looking down before back up at us. "I want you all to know that you can still enter the science fair. I know a lot of rumors have been going on about me but I want ya'll to know the truth."

The four of us look at each other, wondering if it was good or bad. We turn back to our teacher and she says, "I have Hodgkin's disease. The doctors say not many people beat this and I want to see you all finish your rocket for the science fair in case anything happens to me. I want to help you all finish what you started."

I swallow hard, not wanting to believe this news. This was hard for all of us because she was the first person to support us when we first got interested in rockets. I knew this was gonna be real hard for Homer. And I also knew I was gonna be the one to tell him which was gonna be even harder.


	8. Science Fair

**Science Fair**

That day after school, I went home and told Aunt Elsie about Miss. Riley. She felt horrible about it and gave me a small hug when I heard the door open. I heard Uncle John yell something and I rushed towards the door to meet up with Homer. He was about to go upstairs when I stopped him.

"Homer. There's something you should know…" I say, looking up at him with tears in my eyes.

He looks down at me with worried eyes as I tell him the news. Before I knew it, he bolted out the door, riding his bike to Miss. Riley's house. I sighed and headed back up to my room, reading a book. For the rest of the weekend, I didn't see my brother. I only saw him at dinner and even then, he wouldn't say anything. He would quickly eat his dinner and run up to his room.

Soon school came once again and we were all in class when the door got thrown open. We all turned to see Quentin and Homer standing in the doorway. Everyone got up out of their seats and rushed to the two but I got there first and hugged Homer with all my strength, him hugging me back with as much energy.

I looked down to see a rocket, the one that supposedly started that fire. Everyone was trying to get a glimpse of the rocket, some kids even in the hallway. Mr. Turner came barging in, ordering everyone to their seats. "Miss. Riley, what what's goin on here?"

"They didn't start that fire, Mr. Turner."

He quickly turns to Homer and snaps, "In the first place, you are not a member of this classroom."

"Neither are you, Mr. Turner." Miss. Riley makes everyone giggle. "Why don't you let the boy defend himself?"

"And in second place…" He continues, glaring at our teacher. "…this rocket proves nothing. You've already admitted having lost a number of your rockets. You cannot prove conclusively that another one of them didn't start that fire."

"Yes, I can." Homer smiles, going up to the chalk board.

"Are we to conclude, Mr. Hickam, that since leaving school, you've not only become an expert in rocket science, but in the field of trigonometry?" Homer starts to object, annoyed but Mr. Turner cuts him off. "Obviously you learned more in the coalmines than you did in high school."

Almost the whole class started laughing but not us Rocket Boys. Even though I was a girl and I was in the group, I decided to just go along with the name. Besides, it sounded real cool.

Homer draws an example on the chalk board, explaining, "Now, that fire was near Welch, just under three miles from our launch pad. And at the time of the fire, the best we could do was one point two miles which is exactly where we found that rocket, Mr. Turner. See, Mr. Turner, that rocket fell for about fourteen seconds, which means, according to the equation, 'S' equals one-half, 'A' 'T' squared where 'S' is the altitude, 'A' is the gravity constant, or thirty two, and 'T' is the time it took for that rocket to come back down. Velocity equals acceleration times time."

He finished drawing the example and quickly turn to our principle and mocks him. "Now are you following this, Mr. Turner."

The whole class laugh but stops when he turned to glare at us and then back to Homer. "Alright, we're all duly impressed. But do you mind telling me, if you did not start that fire, who did?"

We went to the police station to look at the rocket that they found that started the fire. It had these weird kinds of fins that stuck out and when you pushed the fins, they went in, almost like a small lever. "What is it?" Roy Lee asks.

"Whatever it is, it's ingenious. The fins are spring-loaded." Quentin answered.

"That ain't a rocket at all." Mr. Turner informs us. "It's an aeronautical flare. There's an airport here in Welch. It's right above where the fire started."

We got off the hook, everyone knowing we didn't start the fire and we were innocent. We all loaded into the principles car, heading back to school except there was no room for four in the backseat. Homer got in the passenger seat as Mr. Turner was in the driver's seat. I was left to sit on somebody's lap and I wanted to be with Roy Lee but it wouldn't be right.

Thankfully, being like an almost big brother he always was, O'Dell let e sit on his lap. I give him a thankful smile and I hear Mr. Turner say, "Mr. Hickam, report to my office as soon as we return to school." He saw our confused looks and turned to Homer. "You do intend to enter the county science fair, do you not?"

"Yes, sir, we do."

"Well, if you intend to represent Big Creek, you're gonna have to be enrolled as a student in Big Creek."

Homer turns to us with a big smile on his face but I hear Roy Lee jump in his seat with an even bigger smile on his face. "Prodigenous!"

That day later at night, we were all in our basement. We had the rocket on the table and looking at one of the book Miss. Riley gave Homer. We were looking at a picture of something we needed for the rocket for the science fair but we needed to draw it for Mr. Bolden. We couldn't give him the book for the picture but then a thought came to mind.

I knew that Roy Lee was good at drawing so I took the book from Homer and looked at the picture. "Hey, Roy Lee. You think you could draw well enough so Mr. Bolden could built it?"

"Yep! Let me see it." He answers. I pass the book over to him and he observes the picture for a moment before nodding his head. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Hey, Homer, Cora." We heard behind us. Everyone turned around to find Uncle John on the staircase.

"Hi." We say at the same time.

"Ya'll go on home now. Cora, go upstairs and help your Aunt with dinner." He orders.

We all head upstairs except Homer, leaving the two to talk. I follow the boys to the door and give them a hug, all three of them. But when I gave Roy Lee one, he gave me a squeeze and kissed me on the cheek, and then left without another word.

I was left shocked. I quickly ran upstairs and into my room, forgetting about dinner. I was almost asleep, after a few hours but then Homer came into my room. "Hey, Corry." I just realized he stopped calling me 'Cora' and he kept calling me by my childhood nickname, 'Corry', which made me smile.

"Hey, Homer. You need anything?"

"No but, uh…I know it was a long time ago but I never got to thank you…for my birthday present. I really loved it. That's one of the things that got me back in school and helped me get back into rockets again."

"Your welcome. It means a lot to know that it helped you. I thought you would've like it."

"Well, you thought right. And I just wanted to say thanks and good-night."

He got up and left my room, closing my door. I laid back down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I wanted to go to bed and fall asleep or read but I couldn't. I couldn't get Roy Lee out of my mind or what he did. That was almost against the whole 'just friends' area. Or was it?

A week later, we were at the fair and waiting to see who won. The whole school was in the gym, waiting for the winners. "Homer Hickam, Cora Hickam, Roy Lee Cooke, Quentin Wilson, and Sherman O'Dell of Big Creek High for their ingenious display of amateur rocket-building techniques."

We went to take our display down, can't believe we actually won. We were all talking about and smiling, not believing our luck. "I can't believe we beat the kid with the robot dog." Roy Lee admits.

"And I thought the see-through ear was gonna win." O'Dell says.

Mr. Turner comes up to us, looking strict. "I got Miss. Wade working on your travel arrangements, so you kids are gonna have to decide who's going to Indianapolis."

"We're all going." Homer says.

"Yeah." Quentin agrees, confused.

"Son, I wish you could, but we can't afford to send all five of you. Only two. Let me know what you decide. I'm gonna have to know by Friday. You kids did a fine job today."

It was silent for a moment, us thinking about the situation. Suddenly, Roy Lee speaks up. "I need to borrow a suitcase, and I'm gonna need you guys' addresses because I'm gonna write some postcards."

"Shut up, Roy Lee." O'Dell shoves him.

"Come on, you dope. You know you're going, Homer." Roy Lee smiles and whacks my brother on the shoulder.

"All there is now is to decide who else is going." I say.

I thought about it hard and when I was about to say Quentin should go, when O'Dell says, "Cora."

"What?"I question, my eyes go wide.

"Yeah, Cora should go." Quentin agrees.

I turn to Roy Lee and see what his response was. He doesn't look up when he answers, "Yeah. She needs to stick with Homer. The rest of us can manage here just fine."

I smile with tears in my eyes, thankful they were thinking of me and knew I would want to stay with Homer. That night, we were back at the house, looking for some suitcases. I already had one packed and everything but I tried to help Homer find his.

I was in the kitchen when Homer went in to living room and asked Aunt Elsie for a big green suitcase. Uncle John was getting a glass of water when we heard a loud pop and the window got broken. I let out a scream and Uncle John pushed me to the ground, protecting me.

He ran outside on the porch yelling, "Ya'll stay inside!"

The boys followed him though and saw it was Roy Lee's step-dad who shot a gun at us, in the house. He was driving away as fast as he could while Uncle John was yelling at him. I was still in the kitchen with Aunt Elsie when I heard him shout, "Hey, hey, don't trouble yourself, Homer. You got more important things to worry about. Just go look for your suitcase."

I quickly go over to my brother and whisper, "Just forget it, Homer."

He shoves me into the wall and stomps off into the kitchen and yells, "Listen, I'm sorry for everything that's going on around here but it isn't my fault! What do you want from me, anyway?!"

"Better watch yourself, Homer!" Uncle John warns.

"If we win at Indianapolis, maybe we can go to college, maybe even get a job at Cape Canaveral! There's nothing here for us! The town is dying! The mine is dying! Everybody knows it here but you!"

"You wanna get out of here so bad, then go! Go!"

"Yeah, I'll go! Yeah, I'll go! I'll go! And I'll be gone forever! I won't even look back!" Homer runs out of the house, slamming the door.

Nothing else happened that night. I made sure I had everything packed and I even packed some things for Homer while he was gone. I skipped dinner and just went straight to bed, ready to get out of this town for a while.


	9. Win

**Win**

Homer and I loaded up onto the bus, heading towards Indianapolis. Roy Lee, O'Dell, and Quentin were on the sidewalk, watching us head out. The bus starts moving and we both wave to them, the three of them giving us small waves in return.

It took us hours to get there and once we arrived, we got set up and started giving out presentations over and over again to all the public. At times, it was hard to keep up with Homer since he was talking so fast and he knew everything while I knew most of it. But I got through.

Finally the day ended quickly and we got to our hotel rooms. I was on my bed, half asleep when somebody was shaking me. I groaned and rolled over, pulling the blankets over me. The shaking continues until I sat up, pissed. I saw Homer there, all dressed up and a phone in his hand.

"Corry, I'm gonna check out the town for a while. You want to come?"

"No, thanks. Were you on the phone with someone?"

"Yeah, still am. Actually, they asked if they could talk to you."

"Who is it?" I ask.

"Just…talk." Homer says, quickly making his way out the door.

I put the phone to my ear and hear somebody breathing. "Hello?" I ask.

"Hey." I hear Roy Lee's voice on the other end.

"Roy Lee, hey. You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah, actually. I've wanted to talk to you for a while but I couldn't think of a really good time to do it until now. I know it's not the best way to do it, over the phone but it helps a bit." He chuckles a bit on the other line.

"Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened. I wanted to talk to you about _us_. You never let me finish at the dance, a few weeks ago."

"Why didn't you say anything before, when we were still in the same state?"

"I don't know. It just seemed easier to do it this way and I thought you didn't want to talk to me. Please don't hang up, alright? You need to hear me out."

"Alright, I'm listening." I say, cautiously.

"At the dance, I said, '_I've been thinking that it really was the best thing for us to break up'. _You didn't let me finish, when you walked away. I was gonna say, 'I think we just needed a small break for a while before getting back together'. I feel like we both gained a bit more trust in each other and we became friends again instead of just a couple."

I take a deep breath, knowing I'll end up crying soon. "Roy Lee…please, I can't hear this right now. I would love to talk to you about it but not now."

"Yes, now! I've wanted to say this to you for weeks and I've given you plenty of time to be prepared for this. I miss you. I shouldn't have overreacted. I didn't think anything more or anything less of you when Homer told us about your dad. You're still the same girl I fell in love with."

I let out a sob, tears pouring down my face. I was about to say something but he cut me off. "That's why you didn't tell any of us about it, isn't it? You didn't want us to think differently of you. You're still the same girl, baby. You're the same strong, beautiful, loving, caring, and smart girl I first met. I wouldn't change you one bit if I could. You're perfect just the way you are. Don't you dare think differently!"

I couldn't stop crying at that moment but it was silent. "Roy Lee…" my voice cracked. "…I miss you too. And I should have told you about my dad years ago but you're right, I was scared. And I knew your step-dad beat you and that was enough stress as it was. I didn't want to add any more worries to your list."

I heard Roy Lee scoff on the other line. "Cora, you're always gonna be on my worrying list. I'm always scared if you're gonna get hurt, or if you're scared, or anything. I'm always worried if something happens to you and I won't be there to protect you. Hell, I'm worried right now."

"Roy Lee, I'm fine. You don't have to be worried. I'm in a hotel with Homer, he's just gone out for a while to check out the town."

"Yeah, well, that's what they all say. You girls tell us guys not to worry but then something happens, making us worry! Cora baby, I just don't wanna see you get hurt. I saw it before and I don't think I can see something like that again."

"My dad's dead. I'm fine now. Nobody messes with me and if they ever did, I'd tell you. Besides, you know I can take care of myself."

"…I know you can. That's one of the reasons why I thought you should go on this trip with Homer."

I smile at the gentleness in his voice. I was curious so I couldn't help but ask, "So, are we…you know…together again?"

"I don't know. Do you wanna be?"

"Yeah." I whisper, not knowing if that was the right answer.

"Me too." He whispers back. I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

After that, we spent about another hour on the phone, just talking about random things, glad to be together again but this time, we were best friends at the same time, not just a couple. Soon it got close to midnight and we had to say goodbye. Homer walked in the door and plopped on his bed the second he came in.

"Alright, I'll see you soon. Call me when you can. Love you, baby." Roy Lee whispers.

"Ok. I'll call you tomorrow when I get the chance. I love you, too." We hang up and put the phone down.

I lie back down on my own bed and jumped when I heard Homer ask, "So, you two back together again?"

"Yeah." I answer with a smile.

"Good." Homer smiles back and we both fall asleep.

Homer got up first the next morning and went to our exhibit. I walk in the museum when opening starts and I see our stuff were gone. I ran to find Homer and saw he was on the phone. I rushed towards him and ripped the phone from him, both of us sharing the phone.

"It's not like we got a whole lot of time, Roy Lee. The judging is tomorrow." Homer informs.

"There's nothing we can do without Mr. Bolden. And he can't get anywhere near the machine shop." Roy Lee's voice comes back.

"They even took my picture of Dr. von Braun." Homer sighs.

"They stole everything!" I almost shout.

"I got an idea. It involves your dad, Homer but if he agrees, you might still win."

"Try anything you have to." I say, upset.

Homer sighs and stomps off, leaving me with the phone. "Cora? Listen, baby you gotta not worry. Leave that to me. Everything's gonna be just fine."

I smile, hearing him mention worrying from last night. "Well, when you tell me not to worry, it means I'm supposed to worry. Isn't that how it works?" I mock.

I hear him chuckle, making me laugh. "That only goes for us guys. When I tell _you_ not to worry, you do it. When you tell _me_ not to worry, then I have to. It's just the way things are."

"Yeah, sure. I believe you." I joke, sarcastically.

We talk for a short bit before hanging up, and going back to our exhibit. We gave them all the information we could, the public, since we didn't have any of our objects for examples. It didn't go as well as yesterday but we managed through it.

Homer came up to me that night and said Uncle John had opened up the mine again and that helped Mr. Bolden make our steel objects. We got it sent and packaged at eight a.m. at the bus station and later that day, we presented to all the judges. It was nerve racking, knowing I could somehow screw this up but I was calm.

Homer explained the difficult parts I didn't understand but we got past it. The day went by fast and before I knew it, we were at the ceremony where the winners would be announced. They just gave the second place metal to a girl and they began a speech right before the winners. I looked down and saw Homer looking at a round, gold object.

I looked closely at it and saw it was Mr. Bykovsky's tag for when he worked in the mine. '723' was the number. I knew Homer was thinking of him and I grabbed his hand and smiled at my brother. Next thing I know I hear the announcer way, "First place goes to Homer Hickam, Cora Hickam, Roy Lee Cooke, Sherman O'Dell, and Quentin Wilson of Big Creek High, West Virginia."

We walked up and got our gold metals unable to wipe the smiles off our faces. We walked down from the stage and got congratulated from everybody there, college people, scientists, everyone. We both even got offered a few scholarships.

We went home the next day, not wanting to waste time to get back home. When we get off the bus there was a huge crowd waiting for us. I got off the bus first and the second my feet hit the ground, they were picked up and I was being swung in the air.

I let out a loud laugh and when I looked down, I see Roy Lee holding onto my waist and swinging me in the air with the biggest smile I've ever seen. He sets me down again and kisses me, grabbing both sides of my face. I wrap my arms around his shoulder and kiss back, smiling. I love the feeling of being able to kiss him again after months. He pulls away and keeps smiling. "That's my girl."

I saw Homer looking around the crowd and I knew he was searching for Uncle John. He then asked for Miss. Riley and everyone went silent. She was in the hospital, being treated from her sickness. I gave the boys their metals and they couldn't stop staring at it, they were so pleased.

Homer went off to find his dad while the rest of us got our last rocket set up. The boys were doing everything with the wires and fuse but I did the painting and the design. More than half the town was there as we were setting everything up.

Eventually, Homer joined us and O'Dell said, sadly, "It's our last rocket."

"Yeah, let's do it." Roy Lee said, his voice deep and the wind blowing his hair to one side, making me swipe a hand through his hair for a moment, causing him to smirk at me.

"Wire it up for me, will ya?" Homer asks Roy Lee as he walks towards the crowd.

I saw Dorothy run up to my brother but he ignores her and goes straight to Valentine, making me smile. "Hey, everybody, can we have your attention, please?"

"Come on, Homer. Let her fly." Someone says, making the crowd laugh.

"We're gonna launch the rocket in a minute, but we'd like to say thank you first. If it wasn't for y'all, we'd never have gotten into any science fair. We'd probably never have gotten past blowing up my mom's fence. But we did because of your help and support. And this is for Coalwood."

He raises his gold metal up to the crowd, everyone cheering and clapping. "There were few people who believed in us, even before we did. We'd like to dedicate this rocket to them. To Ike Bykovsky. To Mr. Bolden, who helped us so much. To the person who first inspired us, our teacher, Miss. Riley. And, finally _I'd_ like to dedicate this rocket to my mom and to…my dad."

I searched in the crowd and in the front row, there was Uncle John. I could see Homer just smiling away and he walked up to his dad and said something that we couldn't hear but Uncle John walked up to the launch pad, next to us. Roy Lee gave him the box that would launch it and we all started counting down.

Uncle John pressed the button and the rocket launched. It went high in the sky, blinding us from the sun. I felt someone grab my hand and when I turned, I saw Roy Lee smiling at me. I smiled back and we kissed before turning back to the rocket.

Everyone watched it as it kept going. It seemed to never stop, leaving an endless trail of smoke. "Look at it go, Homer. This one's gonna go for miles." Quentin says, smiling.

I could barely see out of the corner of my eye but I saw Uncle John put a hand on Homer's shoulder, giving him a pat. I smiled, knowing that was all Homer wanted; was to be accepted by his dad and make him proud. We continued to watch the rocket fly through the blue sky, never stopping.


End file.
